Reviews

Keep It Old-Time—Fiddle Music in Missouri from the 1960s Folk Music Revival to the Present

University of Missouri Press  Howard Wight Marshall, a Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri, has recently completed his trilogy covering the history of fiddling in the state of Missouri.  The first book in the series, titled Play Me Something Quick and Devilish (2013) begins with what is known about fiddling from the time of…

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Gotta Lotta Lonesome

And then there are the albums that make a listener just think, “wow.” Sometimes one comes along that’s hard to pick a handful of songs to focus on because—to borrow an old phrase—it’s all killer, no filler. That’s the case with Carson Peters & Iron Mountain’s latest album, Gotta Lotta Lonesome. Eight of the 12…

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Nervous Energy

Nervous Energy seems like the perfect name for a solo project from a banjo player who is staying busy.  Andy Lowe, most recently known for his work with the Deer Creek Boys, looks like he has a winner. The first single off the album is “Mountain,” with the lead singing duties taken by Josh Shilling…

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Outlaw in Your Mind

Songwriters are the eyes of the world and Baltimore songwriter Caleb Stine’s eyes are better than most.  Armed with a storyteller’s inquisitiveness and a restless independent spirit, Stine is songwriter of uncompromising heft, he can spin tales that are joyful expressions, songs that are serious meditations on life, and write tunes that are all of…

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Remembering The Past

The Kentucky Colonels were as progressive and innovative as Billy Strings is today and Osborne Brothers were before them. The guitar magic—there’s no other word—conjured by Clarence White, melding with his older brother Roland’s dry, almost plaintive vocals and spot-on Monroe style mandolin, created a thrilling new sound. The highlight, to many fans was their…

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Bluegrass Voice

Bluelight Records  BLR 332332 Led by Jussi Syren (mandolin, lead vocals), the Groundbreakers members hail from both Finland and Europe. Formed in 1995 the others in the group include Tauri Oksala (banjo, resonator guitar, vocals), J.P. Putkonen (guitar), and Tero Maenpaa (bass, vocals).  The group has toured around six European countries, and in the States,…

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